Uncle Silas (film) explained

Uncle Silas
Director:Charles Frank
Producer:Josef Somlo, Laurence Irving
Starring:Jean Simmons
Derrick de Marney
Katina Paxinou
Music:Alan Rawsthorne, played by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Muir Mathieson
Cinematography:Robert Krasker
Editing:Ralph Kemplen
Studio:Two Cities Films
Distributor:General Film Distributors
Runtime:103 minutes
Country:United Kingdom
Language:English
Budget:over $1 million[1] or £366,300[2]
Gross:£96,400 or US$269,920 (by Dec 1949)[3] or £82,700

Uncle Silas (US: The Inheritance) is a 1947 British drama film directed by Charles Frank and starring Jean Simmons, Katina Paxinou and Derrick De Marney.[4] It is an adaptation of J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 1864 novel Uncle Silas in which an heiress is pursued by her uncle, who craves her money following her father's death.[5]

The film was shot at Denham Studios with sets by the art director Ralph Brinton. The costumes were designed by Elizabeth Haffenden.

Plot

Caroline Ruthyn is the teenage niece of her elderly uncle Silas, a sickly and at one time unbalanced rake who becomes her guardian on the death of her father. The fact that Silas is broke and greedy and young Caroline is the heir to her father's vast fortune is reason enough for Caroline to be wary, but her fears increase when she meets Silas's brutal son, her cousin, and when she discovers that her fearsome former governess, Madame de la Rougierre, is working with her uncle...

Cast

Reception

The film was a box office flop. Producer's receipts were £70,500 in the UK and £12,200 overseas.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Cane . October 22, 1947 . Film Reviews - Uncle Silas . . New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company . 168 . 7 . 13 .
  2. Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 353. Income is in terms of producer's share.
  3. Book: Gillett . Philip . The British Working Class in Postwar Film . 28 June 2003 . Manchester University Press . 978-0-7190-6258-2 . 200 . 21 August 2021 . en.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20090113232958/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/55868 BFI.org
  5. Web site: Interview with Sidney Gilliat. British Entertainment History Project. 15 May 1990. Roy. Fowler. Taffy. Haines. 46.